Shenandoah Conservatory announces the winners of the 2022/23 Student Soloists Competition (SSC) on behalf of the SSC committee. The final round of the competition was held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 22, in Armstrong Concert Hall.

Pictured left to right: Dane Frandsen (Category I – Instrumental), Isabel Dimoff (Category II – Instrumental), Qiuyu Li (Category II – Voice), Lourdes Rodriguez (Category I – Voice), Patrick Rippeon (Category I – Instrumental/Honorable Mention), Yanjue Lin (Category II – Keyboard) and Hidemi Minagawa (Category II – Keyboard).

Category I – Undergraduate

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Instrumental Division Winner

Dane Frandsen, flute

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Vocal/Choral Division Winner

Lourdes Rodriguez, soprano

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Category II – Graduate

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Instrumental Division Winner

Isabel Dimoff, cello

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Keyboard Division Winners

Yanjue Lin, piano

Hidemi Minagawa, piano

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Vocal/Choral Division Winner

Qiuyu Li, soprano

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Honorable Mention

Category I – Undergraduate

Patrick Rippeon, saxophone

Winners of this year’s competition will be featured in a performance with the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2022.

Participants performed in preliminary and semifinal rounds judged by the 2022/23 SSC Committee, which featured Shenandoah Conservatory faculty representatives from the Instrumental, Keyboard and Vocal/Choral Divisions, as well as Conductor, Director of Orchestral Studies and Professor of Conducting Jan Wagner, who also serves as SCC Committee chair. The final round was adjudicated by an all-external jury.

2022/23 Student Soloists Competition Committee

Jan Wagner, SSC Chair

Conductor; Director of Orchestral Studies; Professor of Conducting

Colin Davin, SSC Instrumental Division Representative

Director of Guitar Studio; Associate Professor of Guitar

Fotina Naumenko, SSC Vocal/Choral Division Representative

Assistant Professor of Voice (Soprano)

John O’Conor, SSC Keyboard Division Representative

Distinguished Artist-in-Residence; Chair of Keyboard Division; Professor, Piano

2022/23 Guest Final Jury

Audrey Andrist, Keyboard Division Representative

University of Maryland

James Stern, Instrumental Division Representative

University of Maryland

Joy Schreier, Vocal/Choral Division Representative

Washington National Opera – Assistant Conductor

Peabody Institute – Faculty, Opera Department

About the Winners

Dane Frandsen ’24 is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance and studies with Assistant Professor of Flute Julietta Curenton, M.M.

Isabel Dimoff ’24 is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma and studies with Associate Professor of Cello Julian Schwarz, M.M.

Qiuyu Li ’24 is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance and studies with Professor of Voice Byron Jones ’04, D.M.A., and Visiting Professor of Voice Kerry Wilkerson, M.A.

Lourdes Rodriguez ’23 is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance and studies with Assistant Professor of Voice (Soprano) Fotina Naumenko, D.M.A.

Patrick Rippeon ’25 is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance and studies with Chair of Instrumental Division and Professor of Saxophone Timothy Roberts, D.M.A.

Yanjue Lin ’24 is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance and studying with Visiting Assistant Professor of Piano Pedagogy and Performance Marika Bournaki, M.M.

Hidemi Minagawa ’20, ’24 is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance and studying with Distinguished Artist-in-Residence, Chair of Keyboard Division and Professor of Piano John O’Conor, Mus.D. Minagawa earned an Artist Diploma from Shenandoah Conservatory in 2020.